The Battle in the Valley
by TVfan
Summary: Second a series. Megatron moves to attack a valley with the Golden Disk, and it's up to Dinobot and Rapther to stop him. Basically an alternate version of Code of Hero. How Rapther's presence changes the course of the Beast Wars.


Beast Wars and all characters and things related are copyright and trademark of Hasbro and Mainframe Entertainment. This work, however, is the original work of the author.

Note: This story is an alternate version of "Code of a Hero". Basically what would have happened with Rapther online.

The Battle in the Valley

By TVfan

**Maximal Base**

Dinobot kneeled quietly in his quarters, thinking to himself about previous events. His betrayal of the Maximals. His discovery of Megatron's insanity. The activation of the new Maximal, Rapther. All these things weighed on his mind. He glanced up from his thoughts when heard the cawing of crows and saw three of the black birds fly over the base. His optics narrow as they flew in front of the sun, forcing Dinobot to remember the incident involving the Golden Disks.

Dinobot growled and turned his attention to his sword. He lifted it slowly and focused on it for a moment. Then growling in frustration, he threw the weapon across the room and slammed his fists into the floor beneath him.

"No," Dinobot growled to himself, "Suicide is the coward's answer."

"What are you doing?" came a new voice from the doorway.

Dinobot turned his glance to see Rapther in robot mode standing in the doorway. Her beast mode chest and split open to form shoulder guards and her beast mode arms stood up like platforms above her shoulders to fire rockets from her former beast mode hands. Her hips had changed their alignment with her spine to allow her to stand erect on the same legs that were her legs in beast mode.

"Nothing," Dinobot grumbled, his optics drifting back to his thrown sword.

"Well, if you're doing nothing," Rapther commented, "You can join me on patrol. A little exercise will do you good as opposed to moping day in and day out."

Dinobot didn't answer.

"Or are you afraid to be partnered with a female?" Rapther asked.

"I am NOT afraid," Dinobot answered assertively, standing up.

"Good," Rapther smiled back, "Then grab your gear and let's get going."

**Predicon Base**

"Ah, how the fortunes of war routinely change," Megatron mused from his throne, "Yes."

"What are you rambling about?" Blackarachnia questioned from the floor.

Megatron turned his glance from his fingers to the assembled Predicons. All were present.

"I would have guessed that some of my intelligence would have rubbed off on you by now," Megatron answered sternly, "But I was apparently wrong. Oh well. The fortunes of the Beast Wars have shifted in two directions. One involves the transwarp explosion that has resulted in the transmetals and fuzors. The other involves the stasis pod that Rampage failed to acquire for us."

The transmetal crab began to approach Megatron with the intent of fighting the Predicon leader, but Megatron merely pressed a button on his chair that sent powerful blasts of raw energon into the amputated piece of Rampage's spark. The unprocessed energon did tremendous damage and Rampage soon fell in pain at Megatron's feet.

"The transwarp explosion will be detected by Cybertron in the next 2.218 decacycles," Megatron continued speaking, "That can not happen. No! But in Rampage's failure, we have gained the perfect opportunity to win. I have consulted the Golden Disk concerning the valley that he found; I believe we should pay it a little visit."

"Why not destroy the Maximals, Royalty?" Inferno asked.

"Oh, they'll be destroyed, yes," Megatron smiled, "But not directly. Meanwhile, Inferno, Waspinator, I want you to search the surrounding area for stasis pods, manually. If you find any, bring them here to be reprogrammed."

"Immediately, My Queen," Inferno saluted and took off with Waspinator following behind.

"Meanwhile, the rest of us are going for a nice walk in the valley," Megatron announced, "Yes…"

**Maximal Base**

Dinobot and Rapther ran into Rattrap as the male raptor headed toward the ship's armory.

"Well if it ain't the irascible raptor," Rattrap teased.

"The base remains infested with vermin, I see," Dinobot growled as he continued on his way. Rapther moved to follow him.

"Yeah, not much changes around here," Rattrap answered, "'Cept maybe the occasional allegiance."

Dinobot stopped short and Rapther nearly bumped into him.

"Found any Golden Disks, lately?" Rattrap continued, "Passed 'em on to any Predicons?"

Dinobot glared at the transmetal rat, "I don't need to explain my actions to you, mouse."

"That's right," Rattrap nodded, "Ya don't. 'Cause they pretty much speak for themselves."

Dinobot gritted his teeth and stepped closer to Rattrap, ignoring the look Rapther was shooting him.

"Go ahead, rodent," Dinobot growled, "Push it one more inch."

Rattrap didn't budge, "Y'know, I useta figure I had you pegged. 'He's a slag-spoutin' saurian, but at least ya know where he stands'."

Dinobot's shoulders slumped in defeat. Rattrap sighed and then turned.

"Guess we live an' learn, huh?" Rattrap commented as he stalked off elsewhere into the base.

Dinobot growled after him, but then turned to see his reflection in the metal wall next to him. Rapther came up next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What was that all about?" Rapther demanded.

Dinobot brushed her arm away, "The mouse was referring to actions I had taken before you came online. I… I betrayed the Maximals to Megatron. I thought he would win, and in my foolishness I decided I'd rather be on the winning side."

"You're not saying…?" Rapther gasped.

"I am only a Maximal by allegiance," Dinobot sighed, "I am a Predicon by birth. However, my actions have cost me two things. One is the realization that Megatron is insane and his schemes are not done for honor but for personal gain. The second was the entire incident has removed me of my honor. The sole thing I value."

"What about the Maximals?" Rapther asked as Dinobot made his way into the armory.

"Maximal? Predicon?" Dinobot mused as he picked up a blast weapon, "They are nothing but words to represent factions. It is our personalities that make us who we are. Not our faction name. Mine revolves around honor. And I've lost it."

Dinobot then gazed in the direction that Rattrap had skulked off in, "The rodent's words… give off the stench of truth."

Dinobot got onto one of the elevators that lead to the outside and changed to beast mode and placed the blast weapon beside him. Rapther also shifted to her beast mode and moved onto the elevator with him.

"So what is with the blast weapon?" Rapther asked, "You shouldn't need that on a simple patrol."

Dinobot answered in a low, philosophical voice, "Destiny has one great test in store for us all. Perhaps mine has already come… and perhaps I have failed. I have lost my honor through my deeds. Once a deed is done, it can not be undone…"

Dinobot then motioned to the blast weapon, "…but perhaps it may yet be mitigated. I'm not going on a simple patrol. I'm going to regain my honor. The only way to do that is to defeat Megatron in a great battle."

"And if he kills you?" Rapther questioned.

"Then I die with honor and regain what I've lost," Dinobot as he took the blast weapon in his talons and charged off toward the badlands.

"Iron-headed male is going to be the death of me," Rapther muttered to herself as she watched him for a moment and soon followed after at high speed.

**Elsewhere**

"Waspinator hate these assignments," Waspinator complained in his buzzing voice, "Waspinator would rather go to valley and shoot fleshie bots."

"Silence!" Inferno growled, "The Royalty has given us an important job to insure the survival of the colony. You don't wish to betray the Royalty, do you?"

Waspinator moved his glance away from the forest floor to see the barrel of Inferno's gun a few feet away from him.

"Waspinator follow Megatron," Waspinator answered.

"Good," Inferno answered as he moved off to continue searching.

Waspinator only mumbled something under his breath and continued.

**Maximal Base**

"Are we all here?" Optimus asked.

"Cheetor should be on his way back from his patrol any minute now," Rhinox answered, "But I think Dinobot and Rapther have already left on their patrol."

"Prime," Optimus muttered, "Any idea as to where they've gone? What sector?"

"Probably off giving another Golden Disk to Megatron," Rattrap answered, "Nothing to worry about."

"Will you give the guy a little slack," Silverbolt questioned, "You've practically done nothing but grind him ever since he came back."

"He's a Pred," Rattrap answered, "And I have doubts about whether his little girlfriend too. You don't cut Preds slack. You slag 'em."

"You know, Rattrap, I'm beginning to understand why Dinobot never calls you by your name," Silverbolt growled, sounding a bit angry, "You insult everyone you come across. Dinobot feels he's lost his honor. And you kick him while he's down."

"Since when did you become a Pred protector?" Rattrap questioned.

"Enough," Optimus commanded, "Both of you. Rattrap, I don't think Dinobot is out to betray us to Megatron again. I don't want to hear another word on the subject."

"But…" Rattrap began.

"Not… another… word," Optimus said slowly.

Rattrap shut up.

"Finding Rapther's stasis pod changes things in our situation right now," Optimus began, "Our sensors never picked up its location, but Megatron's did. This either means that pods are no longer sending messages by their usual transmissions and we don't know what frequency their radios are now on, or Megatron's found some way to jam our signals to the pods and the pod's signals to us."

"Either situation gives him a way to gain control of the stasis pods before we can activate them," Rhinox said.

"And that's not the only problem," Optimus continued, "The transwarp explosion that destroyed the alien moon will eventually reach Cybertron. Once it does, the Maximal elders will surely send a rescue ship here."

"And how is that a bad thing?" Rattrap asked.

"Megatron most like knows this also and will do everything possible to insure that he has won the Beast Wars by the time that rescue ship arrives," Optimus answered, "And with us out of his way, it would be easy for him to seize the ship and maroon the crew here without any technology."

**Over the Valley**

Cheetor flew in vehicle mode back toward the Axalon at high speed and scanning the ground below him as he did so. Suddenly he saw movement below him as flew over a raise. He slowed his speed and turned around to get another look. Upon better inspection he caught sight of a large transmetal tyrannosaur and crab walking along the jungle floor.

Cheetor quickly turned to his radio, "Cat patrol to bot-base. Got a blue-plate sighting in Tengu Sector. Crab Legs and Crabby. All you can eat."

Megatron suddenly looked up to see Cheetor flying over them.

"Oh shoot," Cheetor muttered.

Both Megatron and Rampaged changed to their robot mode and began firing at Cheetor.

"But be warned," Cheetor yelled into his communicator, "This plate is HOT!"

The transmetal cheetah shifted to robot mode and fired a few quick shots at the two Predicons and returned to vehicle mode. Cheetor was quickly shaken however by a powerful blast from one of Rampage's missiles that had only missed him by a few inches. Cheetor quickly turned to his radio in a desperate attempt to get help.

"Cheetor to base!" Cheetor yelled.

**The Badlands**

Dinobot stopped briefly to smell a piece of webbing near a rock.

"Tarantulus was here," Dinobot thought to himself.

"What's with the web?" Rapther asked.

"Our first clue to finding Megatron," Dinobot answered.

Dinobot sniffed the web again when suddenly his radio came to life and he could hear Cheetor yelling through it.

"Cheetor to anybody," he heard Cheetor yell, "Come in."

"This is Dinobot and Rapther," Dinobot growled into his communicator, "Speak feline."

"I'm teachin' a solo lesson to Megatron an' Rampage," Cheetor said in a hurried tone, "Trouble is, they're slow learners, an' …"

Cheetor's transmission was abruptly cut by a howl of pain.

"Cheetor!" Dinobot exclaimed into his communicator, "Are you injured?"

"Yeah I'll survive," Cheetor answered over the radio, "…But hey!—since when did you care?"

Rapther's optics focused on Dinobot as he seemed to wince at Cheetor's words.

"Don't tell me you're getting' sensitive on us?" Cheetor questioned.

"Shut up and return to base for repair," Dinobot growled.

"That's more like it," Cheetor answered over the radio with a more satisfied voice, "But someone's gotta follow up on Megatron – find out what he's up to."

Dinobot and Rapther quickly transformed to robot mode. Then Dinobot glanced to watch a herd of gazelles graze.

"Fear not," Dinobot answered as he turned and cocked his blast weapon, "We are warriors. We most assuredly will."

Dinobot looked on into the valley with a rather grim look on his face.

**Underground Lair**

Tarantulus worked carefully around the equipment he had set up around one of many computer consoles. The transmetal tarantula turned toward a visual monitor as a set alarm sounded over his loudspeakers. He snickered uncontrollably as he saw a gazelle struggling to free itself from one of his set web traps.

"He, he, he, he," Tarantulus laughed, "Dinner has arrived."

The gazelle struggled intensely as a rock near the base of a nearby cliff began to move. Slowly but surely, the rock was pushed aside, and Tarantulus crawled out of the hole below it. The gazelle began to struggle harder.

Tarantulus scanned the ground ahead of him to see nothing by his web trap and the gazelle in it. Snickering to himself he scuttled forward, when suddenly the muzzle of a blaster poked up from the rocks below him.

"What the?" Tarantulus exclaimed.

The ground heaved underneath his eight beast mode feet as a Maximal that he was very familiar with emerged from beneath him and grabbed him by the neck.

"Sickening spider!" Dinobot growled angrily, "Your base was betrayed by the stench of you own perversions!"

Tarantulus broke free of the raptor's grasp and scuttled back a few steps.

"How did avoid my alarm?" Tarantulus demanded.

"Who said I didn't?" Dinobot smiled gesturing toward the gazelle, "I placed the animal there and set of the alarm when I went to MY hiding place. You saw the gazelle and immediately came out."

"Oh dear," Tarantulus sighed, "You found me out… Tarantulus Terror—URK!"

The Predicon was unable to finish his command code as six of Rapther's rockets struck the ground around him bringing him to the ground. Dinobot smiled inwardly as the femmebot in robot mode approached the edge of the cliff and then leaped down to join him.

"You might not want to do that, Predicon," Rapther smiled.

Choosing his life over his faction, Tarantulus raised his first two legs in surrender, "What do you want?"

Dinobot widened one of his optics and grinned, "A ride."

A few minutes later, Tarantulus in vehicle mode was carrying Dinobot towards the rest of the Predicons in the valley.

"You didn't need to free the gazelle," Tarantulus whined.

"Quiet," Rapther ordered as she ran alongside in beast mode.

"The Golden Disk," Dinobot began, "I need to know what information it contains."

"I can't tell you that," Tarantulus answered defiantly.

Dinobot fired the blaster weapon at Tarantulus, hitting him in the back of the head. The weapon's power setting had been temporarily set extremely low so that it wouldn't damage the spider, but it would cause pain. Tarantulus, fearing his own destruction, began to babble in fear.

"I don't know!" he said quickly, "I don't know. There are no more copies. Megatron won't risk a security breach again. Only the original Disk and he keeps it with him!"

"Just as I thought," Dinobot answered, "Take us to Megatron."

"You won't get away with this, lizard," Tarantulus snarled.

"Shut up and accelerate!" Dinobot demanded.

**The Valley**

A family group of early humans began moving in search of shelter as the sun set below the horizon ahead of them. Suddenly on of the members of his group began hollering a warning of danger. The leader looked up to see a large metal being hovering above them and coming in for a landing. The group soon afterward scattered themselves into the surrounding jungle.

Megatron carefully came in for a landing and transformed to his robot mode as Rampage was the first of the other Predicons to arrive. While Rampage transforms, Megatron focuses intently on the immense mountain behind them.

"That mountain," Megatron mused, "That will serve our purpose, yes."

Rampage glanced at the mountain, and then in a disgusted voice, "You've brought us all this way to look at SCENERY?!"

"Tsk," Megatron frowned, "I don't care for your tone, Rampage, no."

Megatron then produced an energon cage containing a piece of Rampage's spark and the Predicon tyrant squeezed it intently. The transmetal crab fell to the ground in pain and screaming. Once Megatron was satisfied that Rampage had suffered enough, he put the cage away.

"As I said before, imbecile," Megatron said slowly, "I expect Cybertron to learn the location of the lost Optimus Primal, and thus myself."

"I eagerly anticipate your imminent demise, then," Rampage growled through his teeth.

Megatron took out the Golden Disk from a compartment in his chest, "A likely outcome I admit, but only if reality remains as it is. This disk contains images recorded in the future… One future, anyway."

Megatron then gestured to the mountain, "My dear, Rampage, if you please."

"You presume to order me?" Rampage growled.

Megatron scowled at the crab and moved on hand toward where he had the energon cage stored. Rampage's shoulders dropped and he pulled out his missile launcher and aimed it at the mountain. Shortly afterward, Rampage fired a mega missile at the mountain's top. Megatron and Rampage watched the missile go, Megatron smiling as the missile flew. Once the missile made contact with the mountainside, the mountain exploded violently and much of it was blown away.

Rampage turned his head from the shattered mountain to Megatron. A holoprojected image that the Golden Disk showed of the mountain changed to show that the mountain would not have a 'top' in the future. Megatron smiled.

"Yes!" Megatron announced, "Yes! Oh my crazed crustacean, do you realize what this means?"

Rampage ignored him. Meanwhile, Quickstrike and Blackarachnia were beginning to arrive.

"Where is Tarantulus?" Megatron demanded looking at his other two followers.

"He decided he wanted dinner first and has gone off somewhere," Blackarachnia answered in an annoyed tone.

"Blasted Spider," Megatron cursed, "I'll tear his treacherous spark out for this! But for now, I have bigger matters to attend to. According the Golden Disk, humanity is destined to emerge from this valley. Humans. Thanks to their interference, the Autobots defeated the Decepticons, and thus it is the Maximals that rule us!"

The other Predicons shot their leader questioning glances.

"But no longer!" Megatron exclaimed, "No. Destiny is about to undergo an improvement, yes…"

On a ridge above the valley, Dinobot and Rapther looked on in shock. A missile had flown from the jungle below them into the mountain, destroying the top part of it. Tarantulus was no where to be seen.

"What was that?" Rapther exclaimed.

Dinobot unfocused his optics from the spot where the missile came from, and answered slowly, "Megatron is testing the Golden Disk's powers. When reality alters, the future alters with it! With the Golden Disk, Megatron's power is limitless."

"We will stop him," Rapther said firmly.

"I'm afraid you two won't be doing anything," Tarantulus said stepping out of his hiding place in robot mode.

The transmetal spider fired his shoulder mounted machine guns, knocking Dinobot and Rapther to the ground.

"Shouldn't take your eyes off a spider," Tarantulus cackled, "They tend to be venomous."

Dinobot looked at the cliff behind Tarantulus and began powering his optic's lasers and then growled his own answer.

"But they still squash," Dinobot answered and fired his optic's lasers.

The blast loosened a large rock from the cliff behind them. Tarantulus glanced upward just in time to see the rock slam into him. Dinobot and Rapther slowly got to their feat while the dust cleared.

**Maximal Base**

"Okay, Rhinox, Silverbolt, Rattrap, I want you three to head northwest and see if you can find any pods in that direction," Optimus commanded, "Cheetor and I will head southwest. I'll radio Dinobot and Rapther while we're out."

The base's radio communicator then came to life as Dinobot's voice came over it.

"Dinobot to Optimus Primal, come in."

"Optimus here," the Maximal leader answered, "Where are you, Dinobot? We need you to help find any lost stasis pods."

"Situation has gone beyond that, Primal," Dinobot answered quickly, "We have a Code Red situation… situation is extreme."

"What's going on?" Optimus asked, sounding defeated.

"Megatron is attempting to us the Golden Disk to change the future," Dinobot answered.

Everyone in the base gasped at the raptor's words.

"Rapther and I are preparing to engage," Dinobot continued.

"We'll be there as soon as we can, Dinobot," Optimus answered, "Fall back until we get there."

"Negative," Dinobot answered, "Humanity will be DESTROYED by then. Dinobot out."

Optimus was about to say something when the radio went into dead static.

"Change of plans people," Optimus announced as he turned to face the other Maximals.

**The Valley**

"Go!" Megatron commanded, "Destroy anything and everything you find in this valley!"

Rampage led the Predicon charge. He shifted to his vehicle mode and moved forward, firing missiles in various directions as he went. Blackarachnia and Quickstrike were close behind. Megatron continued to smile.

Above the valley Dinobot looked on, standing a few feet ahead of Rapther. His eyes narrowed as he looked up.

"The question that once haunted my being has been answered," Dinobot said, almost to himself, "The future is not fixed, and my choices are my own."

Rapther came up beside the male raptor in beast mode as Dinobot looked up.

"And yet, how ironic for I now have no choice at all," Dinobot continued as he drew his sword and glanced toward Rapther, "We are warriors, you and I, Rapther. Let the battle be joined."

Dinobot began to walk forward, with Rapther moving beside him.

**Elsewhere**

Rattrap in vehicle mode and Rhinox in beast mode charged as fast as they could toward the valley's location with Optimus, Cheetor, and Silverbolt above them.

"No matter how soon we get their, it's gonna be 'way too late," Rattrap commented.

"Do you always have to see the bright side?" Rhinox asked.

"Dinobutt and Rapper against probably six Preds?" Rattrap retorted, "There won't be enough left of them t'make a toaster."

**The Valley**

Blackarachnia moved quickly with Quickstrike through a section of the valley firing their weapons wildly as they went. Suddenly a brown and reached out of the bushes and grabbed Quickstrike by the shoulder. Dinobot emerged from the bushes and in a dramatic show of strength lifted Quickstrike into the air and pile-drived the fuzor into the ground. Sparks shot of out Quickstrike's head before he dropped into stasis lock.

"Ah," Blackarachnia mused, "I was wondering when a Maximal would show up."

Just suddenly as Dinobot's attack on Quickstrike, Blackarachnia felt a metal whip coil around her neck and powerful surges of energon generated electricity surged through it. As Blackarachnia fell into stasis lock, Rapther emerged in robot mode from the nearby bushes.

"Good," Rapther answered, "You got two!"

Elsewhere in the valley, Megatron unfocused his optics as Dinobot and Rapther dealt with Quickstrike and Blackarachnia. Megatron turned his head to look at Rampage, who had returned to his side.

"One turncoat and an unknown femmebot, battling against impossible odds," Megatron smiled, "I'm almost touched… Fortunately such moments pass quickly. Rampage, destroy them. Victory is almost at hand."

The transmetal crab shifted to vehicle mode and charged in their direction.

Dinobot and Rapther at that time were making their way through a region filled with large rocks of varying size.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Dinobot," Rapther commented, "Megatron should be using all his available troops. We've only run into two so far, and I can only detect two others in the immediate area."

"Megatron doesn't act the way one would expect him to," Dinobot growled, "And coupled with the powers of the Golden Disk, he might even be planning on levels we can not imagine."

Suddenly a hail of missiles flew through the air striking many of the rocks around them as Rampage came into view.

"And here's trouble," Dinobot growled again as he pulled out his sword and rotary blade.

Rapther nodded and moved behind a large rock for cover and aimed her rocket launchers, her beast mode arms, at the attacking crab. Rampage barely felt the rockets that Rapther launched hit him. He merely pivoted and aimed his missile launcher at the spot where she was hiding. He fired a mega missile, and to the crab's delight the rock was destroyed, revealing the female.

"Ahhh, say goodbye, now," Rampage laughed.

"Goodbye now," Dinobot yelled from his position as he charged toward the crab.

Rampage turned to get in the face by Dinobot's optic's lasers. Rampage countered by firing a barrage of missiles. The Maximal raptor slowed to use his rotary blade as a shield, but strength of Rampage's missiles and the sheer number that he launched eventually overwhelmed Dinobot.

"Is that the best you got?" Rampage challenged, "Don't make me laugh!"

Dinobot sat up, and checked his damage. It had grown slightly more serious since Tarantulus's cheep shot to him earlier, but he was thankful that he was still functional. Slowly Dinobot stood up and began to approach Rampage.

"No sword?" Rampage laughed, "Ha! What's a warrior with his weapons?"

"A warrior still!" Dinobot growled as he grabbed a moderately sized rock and heaved it at Rampage's missile launcher.

Rampage was about to fire another missile when the rock that Dinobot threw hit and became lodged in his gun's barrel. The missile exploded in the chamber, destroying the gun and flipping Rampage over.

Shifting to robot mode, Rampage laughed again, "I don't need a weapon to deal with you."

Six rockets then impacted into Rampage's side, bring him to a knee. Rampage turned to see Rapther approaching him.

"Did you forget that there were two of us?" Rapther questioned as she stepped forward.

Dinobot then capitalized on Rampage's distraction and fired his optic's lasers again at the Predicon's head. At full power, the lasers knocked Rampage backwards and the crab's traditionally green optics faded into black as he fell into stasis lock.

Megatron gazed over the fires that raged throughout the valley when the sound of footsteps coming through the undergrowth alerted him the presence of someone besides himself. He turned his beast moded head to see Dinobot and Rapther come towards him. Dinobot was the most heavily damaged with machine gun bullet wounds inflicted by both Tarantulus and Blackarachnia. Various pieces of his armor were torn off by Rampage's missiles as well but the raptor still walked with confidence. Rapther was less seriously damaged, but did have various dents her armor from bullets and her armor also seemed to be burn from missile explosions.

"Hmm, my ears are burning, yes," Megatron gloated, "Why, Dinobot, and you must be the Maximal that Rampage failed to reprogram. What a delightful surprise."

"There's nothing delightful about you," Rapther snarled as Megatron transformed to his robot mode.

Megatron ignored her, "Now let's see, and where are we now? I have the Golden Disk. I have the power to change the future. And the only remaining obstacle in my path to unimaginable glory… is you two? Exhausted. Damaged. Defeated."

"Not by a long shot," Dinobot growled, firing his optic's lasers while Rapther fired her rockets, forcing the Predicon tyrant back.

"Two on one, Dinobot?" Megatron asked in an amused tone, "That's not like you."

Dinobot stopped and stared into Megatron's optics.

"You would fight me one on one?" Dinobot asked.

"Of course," Megatron answered with a smile, "After all Dinobot, you are a creature of honor. Surely it is not honorable for you to attack me when I'm outnumbered."

"It's a trick, Dinobot," Rapther insisted, "He's up to no good."

Dinobot ignored her, sensing that an opportunity to regain his honor was reached.

"Very well, Megatron," Dinobot answered, "I accept your challenge. If I win, you will surrender the Golden Disk and leave this valley."

Megatron smiled, "And if I win, you will be destroyed and your little girlfriend will be reprogrammed."

"You can't do this!" Rapther insisted, "I won't let you!"

Dinobot turned to face her and placed his hands on her shoulders, "Remember what I told you about my honor? This battle had to happen. If I win, I am victorious and my honor is restored. If I lose, I died in battle to defend this valley and my honor is restored. Will you allow me to do this?"

Rapther looked down and stepped back, "Fine, but if he wins, I'm not allowing myself to be reprogrammed."

Dinobot nodded, and turned back toward Megatron. Dinobot then began to lunge at Megatron, when the Predicon leader charged his tail gun and aimed it off screen.

"Uh-uh, Dinobot," Megatron warned as a he pulled a human-like creature from behind a rock.

Dinobot snarled when he saw that power bonds held the creature down.

"One more step, and it's raining bits of early anthropoid, yes," Megatron smiled.

"I knew it was a trick!" Rapther roared.

Dinobot didn't answer, but glowered at Megatron. The raptor stopped his advance.

"Oh, how positively MAXIMAL of you," Megatron gloated, "You were weakened before you started, Dinobot – weakened by compassion."

Megatron then reaimed his tail gun and blasted Dinobot squarely in the chest. Dinobot flew backward and slammed into the trunk of a tree. His chest armor was scarred. Standing up, Dinobot grabbed a large tree branch that had lost its leaves to the fires raging around them and charged Megatron. Using the branch as a club, Dinobot shoved the branch under the gauntlet part of Megatron's tail gun and knocked the powerful weapon out of Megatron's hands. Then moving to seize the initiative, Dinobot proceeded to hit Megatron with the stick, and he finished with a blast of his optic's lasers. Megatron only staggered back a few steps, barely damaged.

Dinobot's computers then warned him, "Power reserves 57 depleted, request stasis lock activation."

"Denied," Dinobot growled.

Megatron simply chuckled at this and stepped forward and backhanded the Maximal raptor. Dinobot landed near a pointed stone.

"Really, Dinobot," Megatron said, "A stick? Against a transmetal? I think not. And your own lasers are barely suitable, even when they were at their full power."

Dinobot began to struggle to his feet, still clutching the branch.

"Face it, Dinobot," Megatron gloated, "You're old technology. Obsolete. What can you possibly do?"

Dinobot slammed the end of the stick onto the stick and then slammed it into Megatron's chest plate. Sparks flew wildly as the stick and rock, now a war hammer, forced his chest compartment open.

"Improvise," Dinobot growled.

Megatron's optic's widened as Dinobot fired his optic's lasers at the greatest power level available to him. The lasers did great damage to Megatron's internal circuits without his transmetal armor to protect them and went flying back. At the same time, the Golden Disk fell out of the Predicon's chest compartment and landed at Dinobot's feet.

Megatron landed a few feet away. His internal systems were damaged and his armor was split open, and on top of it all, the Golden Disk lay at Dinobot's feet.

"You've lost, Megatron," Rapther announced stepping forward, "Leave."

At that moment, Optimus Primal, Cheetor, and Silverbolt arrived and began firing on Megatron. The Predicon leader could hear Rattrap and Rhinox coming behind them. Megatron transformed to his robot mode and took to the air, screaming as he went.

"I was so close!" Megatron yelled in frustration, "So close."

Dinobot meanwhile moved to free the frightened anthropoid.

"Cheetor!" Optimus commanded, "Put the fires out!"

"On it, Big bot," Cheetor acknowledged.

Optimus then turned Dinobot and Rapther.

"Well fought, my friends," Optimus said, "You saved the valley. You saved the lives of those who live here, and those who are still to come."

"Then there is nothing to regret," Dinobot chuckled.

Dinobot then stepped forward and held the Golden Disk in outstretched hands.

"Steeling this disk cost me my honor," Dinobot began, "I now return the disk to you, Optimus Primal, in the hopes that my honor can be restored."

"I'd say both you and Rapther have earned it," Optimus smiled, taking the disk.

"Like I said," Rattrap interjected viewing the battlefield, "You're just a slag-spoutin' saurian."

Dinobot glanced at the transmetal rat to see him smile.

"But it's nice t'know where ya stand," Rattrap finished.

"Always upwind of you, vermin," Dinobot smiled back before suddenly collapsing into stasis lock.

"What happened?" Rapther demanded as Optimus and Rattrap caught him.

"He's gone into stasis lock," Rhinox commented, "The battle took a good deal out of him. He needs to get back to a CR chamber, quickly."

"The fires are out, Big bot," Cheetor announced as he returned.

"Good," Optimus answered, lifting Dinobot onto his shoulders, "Let's go home."

**Predicon Base, days later**

"BLAST IT ALL!" Megatron roared slamming his fists into a table, "We were so close! And on top of it all, Dinobot and that femmebot still live!"

"But Royalty," Inferno pleaded, "The wasp and I accomplished your task. We found stasis pods."

Megatron glanced up at the two stasis pods hanging above him. Inferno and Waspinator had found two blank stasis pods. There were protoforms in them, but no sparks. Megatron glanced them for a moment and then glanced off to a panel on the wall.

"Yes," Megatron smiled, "You have succeeded in your mission. Thankfully."

**The End…**


End file.
